Startup Boards, 2nd Edition

Chapter 9What to Look for in a Director

Entrepreneurs put tremendous energy into recruiting a phenomenal VP of Engineering, hiring the best developers, and building an amazing sales organization. But when attracting board members, many entrepreneurs are casual, or even passive, about recruiting great board members—or don't do it at all.

But what makes a good director? Just like it is difficult to find your way from point A to point B for the first time without directions, a map, or a GPS, it's similarly difficult to find a good board member without putting together a job specification or requirements document to guide the process. While hiring an independent board member is no different than hiring a senior executive, we often see CEOs running board searches with nothing more than “I want a more experienced CEO in our industry” as a job description.

The job spec for a board member differs from that of an executive because you are looking for more than just functional competencies (e.g., “someone who knows how to be a board member”). You are looking for the right combination of experience, soft skills, and governance philosophy to meet your company's needs.

General Skills

The best board members are prepared, keep their commitments, and show up to all meetings. They're punctual, don't leave early, and are fully present during meetings.

The board member develops relationships independent of the CEO throughout the organization, including other board members, management team members, ...